Wales

In addition to visiting the Short Stack Lighthouse and Cliffs, we also went to Plas Newydd, another National Trust Property in Wales. Plas Newydd is considered a "country house" and parts of the house date back to the 1470s. The house sits on the Menai Strait and looks across at the Snowdonia Mountains. The house belonged to the Marquess of Anglesey who was awarded his title for bravery during the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 where he served under the Duke of Wellington and lost a leg. One of the main claims to fame of the house is the painting by Rex Whistler in the Dining Room.

Plas Newydd: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/plas-newydd-country-house-and-gardens

Plas Newydd:

Bedrooms:

Study:

Artwork:

Rex Whistler Painting in the Dining Room:

Spectacular Gardens:

That concludes our trip to Wales. I cannot wait to go back and explore other parts of Wales, particularly southern Wales. This was such a great trip!

On to the next adventure!

Our second and last day in Wales, we headed further north to Holyhead to see the South Stack Lighthouse. South Stack Lighthouse was built in 1809 marking the small islet off Anglesey at the northwest tip of Wales. We didn't actually venture out to the lighthouse because as someone who falls up and down stairs, I deemed there to be too many stairs and I didn't want to increase the chances of falling down.

We also stopped by Elin's Tower on the way to the lighthouse, which is now a Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) information center. The tower was originally used as a summer house and constructed between 1820 and 1850 by the locally well known Stanley family, from Penrhos. The views from the Tower are impressive and RSPB workers are very knowledgable and friendly. We were told there were 16 puffins along the cliffs and we managed to see at least two on the cliffs and three floating in the sea.

South Stack Lighthouse: https://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/lighthouse-visitor-centres/south-stack-lighthouse-visitor-centre

RSPB: https://www.rspb.org.uk

South Stack Lighthouse:

Birds:

Cliffs:

Onto Plas Newydd...

In addition to visiting Caernarfon Castle on our first full day in Wales, we also visited to Penrhyn Castle. Penrhyn Castle is a National Trust property in Bangor, Wales. The castle occupies a strategic position between two rivers on the route from England to Bangor and the Isle of Anglesey. There has been a house on the property since medieval times. The house was designed by Thomas Hopper and constructed from 1820-32. The house belonged to the Pennant family who made their wealth originally in sugar plantations in Jamaica and then in the slate quarry business locally. Apparently the Pennants ran the quarry business in a very unpopular fashion which led to strikes in the early 1900s. The family's bitter legacy is not completely forgotten by the locals.

Penrhyn Castle: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/penrhyn-castle

The Grand Hall:

The Library:

The Drawing Room:

The Ebony Room:

The Grand Staircase:

Bedrooms:

The Chapel:

The Dining Room:

The Breakfast Room:

The Kitchen:

Gardens:

Chapel ruin in the gardens:

Views:

I really enjoyed Penrhyn Castle and gardens. The room docents were very friendly and helpful. My favorite room was the Library (no surprise there, ha!). The chapel was also lovely, simple but lovely. The gardens were also fantastic. Onto Wales Day 2....

Our first full day in Wales we went to Caernarfon Castle, a medieval fortress in the town of Caernarfon. The castle is considered one of the greatest buildings dating back to the Middle Ages. King Edward I of England began construction of Caernarfon in 1283, and the end of work on the castle occurred in 1330. Most of the external parts of the castle are complete while many internal buildings no longer survive and some of the actual buildings plans were never complete.

Caernarfon Castle is managed by the Welsh government, andif you have an English Heritage membership you can get half off of the entry fees to many Welsh government properties (Cadw-managed), including Caernarfon.
Cadw: https://cadw.gov.wales

Caernarfon Castle:

One interesting tidbit we learned about at Caernarfon was about the Royal Welch Fusiliers who are a line infantry regiment of the British Army and part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The unit was founded in 1689. Interestingly, goats...yes goats.... have been associated with the Regiment since 1777 and Queen Victoria presented the first royal goat to the Regiment in 1844. The goat is not the mascot of the unit, but a member with a rank, yes you read that right, a rank. In 2006, Billy the goat was demoted from Lance Corporal to Fusilier after a disciplinary hearing during which he was charged with "unacceptable behavior," "lack of decorum" and "disobeying a direct order" while on parade for the Queen's official birthday celebrations in Cyprus. Makes you wonder what Billy did to be charged with such offenses....Billy eventually redeemed himself and regained the rank of Lance Corporal three months later.

Town of Caernarfon:

After having lunch at the Four Alls in Caernarfon and walking around town, we then went to Penrhyn Castle.

Greetings! Our next adventure took us to Cymru, or more commonly known as Wales! Wales is a country in its own right and part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain. Wales dates back to the 1000s and its capital is Cardiff which is located in southern part of the country. The official languages are Welsh and English and Wales has a population of over 3 million people. A few famous Welsh people you may have heard of include: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Burton, Anthony Hopkins and Tom Jones.

Some fun facts about Wales:
- Wales has more castles per square mile than any other European country.

- The Welsh village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (try pronouncing that...just give it a whirl) has the second longest place name in the world. We happened to be in the town and I took a picture of the name on the local Volvo dealership building.

- The Queen's dog of choice, the corgi, is also Welsh. Corgi means "dwarf dog."
- Joseph Daniels of West Wales emigrated to the US in the 18th century. His grandson Jack went on to create the world famous Jack Daniels whiskey.
- Al Capone's accountant, Llewelyn Humphreys, was a Welshman and also took over for Capone while he was in prison.

We stayed in northwest Wales in a town called Bangor near the Snowdonia National Park. Our AirBnb was in a fantastic location and our hosts were wonderful. Penny enjoyed meeting two of their three chocolate labs. The views from the AirBnb were wonderful. Our trip took us to Caernarfon Castle, Penrhyn Castle, Short Stack Lighthouse and cliffs on the extreme northern coast of Wales, and to Plas Newydd. I will probably break this up into separate posts due to the sheer volume of pictures.

Wales: https://www.visitwales.com

AirBnb link: https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/1285937

Penny asking, "Are we there yet?"

Our neighbors for our stay:

Our view from the AirBnb:

Wales is stunning and I cannot wait to come back and explore other parts of the country. Onto Caernarfon Castle...